Six Deposition Services That Could Benefit Your Law Firm
Sarah Ballentine | Oct 07, 2011 | Comments 0
Many court cases are supported by evidence uncovered during a deposition-a fact that court themed TV shows and movies often obscure. In some cases, depositions are simple, straightforward meetings that attorneys handle on their own; while in others, it requires one or more services known as deposition services. The following services, offered by top court reporting agencies, can help your law firm make the most of its depositions.
Videography
Video recording a deposition allows you to review it and identify instances where the behavior of the deponent indicated apprehension, nervousness, or evasiveness. Although non-verbal communication is also recorded in the transcript of a deposition, there is no substitute for video evidence of critical non-verbal behavior. A legal video can undergo video text synchronization allowing attorneys to move to specific parts of the text with the click of a button-a critical feature for presenting visual deposition evidence to a jury.
Video Conferencing
Video conferencing is commonly used for meetings between attorneys and their clients. It can also be used for streaming depositions to remote locations, allowing members of the defense or prosecution who cannot be present to view a proceeding over the internet in real time. For law firms practicing both nationally and globally, video conferencing also offers a way to save on travel expenses. With one attorney conducting a proceeding at a remote location, other attorneys can observe the proceeding from any internet terminal.
Nationwide Reporting
Legal support agencies that supply a full range of legal services offer court reporters to every state. For law firms that try cases nationally, the ability to request a reporter in any state on an expedited basis simplifies the scheduling of proceedings, which in turn simplifies case preparation. Agencies offering nationwide reporting typically offer other services on a nationwide basis as well, such as complex litigation support, early case preparation, translation service, and document retrieval.
Legal Suites
Legal suites are spaces designed to technologically and ergonomically accommodate depositions. Law firms that practice locally or regionally may have established legal suits, but firms that practice nationally often do not. Typically offered by reporting agencies providing nationwide reporting, these suites are sometimes offered on a complimentary basis.
Translation Service
Depending on the location and practice area of a firm, a translation service could be the most needed of all the deposition services. In addition to providing attorneys, paralegals and court reporters who speak common South American and European languages, top legal support agencies also provide translators who speak Eastern languages such as Hebrew, Japanese, and Mandarin. Translation services are also available for document review, court reporting, and complex litigation support.
Telephonic Depositions
In telephonic depositions, attorneys depose deponents over the telephone in a call that features as many lines as necessary. Although some attorneys advise against telephonic depositions due to the inability to see critical visual cues-such as when a deponent is advised by his or her attorney, they nonetheless provide a convenient, inexpensive way for attorneys to question deponents who live in other states or countries.
In my research on court reporting, I studied critical deposition services that benefit law firms.
Filed Under: Technology
